Abstract
In this study, we examine, identify, and discuss fossil remains of large branchiopod crustaceans collected from six sites across the Beringian region (north-eastern Asia and north-western North America). Eggs and mandibles from Anostraca and Notostraca, as well as a notostracan telson fragment and a possible notostracan second maxilla, were collected from both paleosediment samples and also from large mammal hair. The remains of large branchiopods and other species that are limited to seasonally astatic aquatic habitats (temporary wetlands) could be useful indicator organisms of paleoecological conditions. Different recent large branchiopod species have very different ecological preferences, with each species limited to specific geochemical component tolerance ranges regarding various salinity, cation, and gypsum concentrations. Our purpose is to bring the potential usefulness of these common fossil organisms to the attention of paleoecologists.
Highlights
The Branchiopoda are a class of crustaceans that primarily inhabit seasonally astatic aquatic habitats
Except Cladocera, are collectively referred to as “large branchiopods” [1], this common name has no phylogenetic or taxonomic basis. These large branchiopod crustaceans have been found from various fossil strata, with the oldest representatives being putative anostracans reported from Cambrian [2]
Notostracans are more common in the fossil record [38] but have mostly been reported as carapaces only [3] and as ichnotaxa [39]
Summary
The Branchiopoda are a class of crustaceans that primarily inhabit seasonally astatic aquatic habitats (temporary pools). The class is comprised of Anostraca (fairy shrimps), Notostraca (tadpole shrimps), and the superorder Diplostraca, which is further subdivided into Laevicaudata (smooth clam shrimp), Spinicaudata (spiny clam shrimp), Cyclestherida (tropical clam shrimp), and Cladocera (water fleas). All of these groups, except Cladocera, are collectively referred to as “large branchiopods” [1], this common name has no phylogenetic or taxonomic basis. Except Cladocera, are collectively referred to as “large branchiopods” [1], this common name has no phylogenetic or taxonomic basis These large branchiopod crustaceans have been found from various fossil strata, with the oldest representatives being putative anostracans reported from Cambrian [2]. The earliest confirmed fossil cladocerans come from the Mesozoic and were found co-occurring with large branchiopods [7,8,9,10]
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